After six months of indecision, my Roman tabletop scene finally came together.
The time frame is sometime around 120 AD.
I'm going to call the location the Romanian Frontier (Dacia).
The emperor is Hadrian (he has to be Hadrian due to the beard, otherwise I'd call him Trajan marching off for the battle of Tapae against Decebalus).
Close up of Hadrian riding beside the legate (general). Behind the pair are four tribunes. Behind them rides the praetorian cavalry (imperial or legate's bodyguard). These praetorian are a modest custom from the original "Roman warrior" figure--the flexible blue new-style cloak plus standard legionaire helmets. The decurion still wears the bronze helm with blue plume).
The front of the century and the tail of an archer auxiliary (Ethiopian and Hamian archers). The Romans did field mixed ethnic group auxiliary companies, but whether they mixed them together like this or kept them in separate centuries, I don't know. I only had seven archers and had to fill out the unit.
The century's optio is encouraging a soldier who fell out of line (off screen) to get off his butt.
Note also the two soldiers carrying the scorpion ballista. I suspect the scorpion was packed off on a wagon, but it was light enough for a two-man team to carry.
Here is a close-up of the baggage train. Some sources speculate that the Roman army may have used a civilian corps of muleteers--specialized baggage handlers who could load up fast and make it all fit.
Here is the Numidian auxiliary cavalry scouting the woods on the legion's flank.
